Repairing Discs

[itschris]

It never fails... I have tons of discs that I've bought in the past because i like 1 or 2 songs and it's typically always those songs that a scratch or nick in the disc seem to wipe out.

I've seen disc repair kits... do they work? Do you have any personal remedies that you've had luck with?

 

[Nugu]

I usually just buff really long and hard with a micro fiber wipe for light scratches/scuffs. Some recommend using tooth paste (NOT the GEL kind) and coating it, let it sit, clean/buff off. It takes longer but I prefer to just buff on a flat surface with my micro fiber.

There's always the option of going to a gaming store (usually Gamer's or small local shop) and letting them give it a whirl through their buffer. That costs a buck or 2 though normally. Generally this setup is just a drill press with a round buffer surface + buffing compound so you could DIY it easy if you have a drill press.

Disc repair kits generally operate on the same principle as the Game shop drill press only at a much slower speed. They do work but success can vary by kit due to build quality and what they use to buff. Do not use any kind of machine buff w/o some kind of lubricating buffing compound or you will regret it.

 

[oppman99]

I've had some sucess with liquid auto wax and microfiber cloth. Seems to work for light scratches. Just make sure you wipe from the inside to the outside of the disc (perpendicular to the grooves).

 

[itschris]

I remember the toothpaste trick... I might give that a shot. Some of them are more than just light scratches... amost abrasions. I've heard that you bring it back even from pretty bad shape.

 

[Exit]

I fixed a lot of discs with a disc hand cleaning machine using the supplied fluid. I got it at BB a few years ago but I have not seen them lately. I think the brand was Disc Doctor. I would spend more to get a motorized disc cleaner because the hand cranking gets real old real fast.''

I just bought a new motorized disc cleaner from Monoprice.com for about $15, but I have not tried it out yet. One thing is to always clean or grind in a radius direction and not circular. I have probably fixed 30-50 discs so far.

 

[skizzerflake]

I fixed a lot of discs with a disc hand cleaning machine using the supplied fluid. I got it at BB a few years ago but I have not seen them lately. I think the brand was Disc Doctor. I would spend more to get a motorized disc cleaner because the hand cranking gets real old real fast.''

I just bought a new motorized disc cleaner from Monoprice.com for about $15, but I have not tried it out yet. One thing is to always clean or grind in a radius direction and not circular. I have probably fixed 30-50 discs so far.

I had similar results with a Disk Doctor until I dropped it and it broke. It even worked for a CD that I found in the road. By luck I broke it around the same time I started ripping CDs to my Ipod instead of carrying them around in the car, which is where they got beat up.